Detergent applying unit



Jan. 16, 1962 s. R. KANE $017,118

DETERGENT APPLYING UN IT Original Filed July 23, 1956 INVENTOR. 5mm: R. KANE 4 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,017,118 Patented Jan. 16, 1962 3,017,118 DETERGENT APPLYING UNIT Sirnai R. Kane, 8031 Mountain Blvd, Gaitland, Calif. Continuation of application er. No. 599,641, July 23, 1956. This application Apr. 1, 1959, Ser. No. 803,542 2 Claims. (Cl. 23961) The invention relates to a unit in which a detergent or other material may be entrained in a compatible liquid stream for its application with the stream, and comprises a continuation of U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 599,641, now abandoned.

In connection with the maintenance of various industrial and domestic equipment in a clean and/ or sanitary condition, it is a general purpose of the present invention to most efficiently provide a liquid stream containing a detergent or other agent at a maintained suitable and adjusted subsaturation concentration for its direct delivery at surfaces under treatment, all in a single portable unit.

Another object is to provide a detergent-entraining unit in which the subsaturation concentration of the detergent in the output stream is controllable in a particularly accurate and precise manner.

A more specific object is to provide in the unit a particularly effective means for supplying a hydrated detergent in a saturated water solution thereof for its metered entrainment in the working water stream from the unit.

An added object is to provide a unit of the character described which is arranged to be operated by and solely in accordance with the supply pressure of the water, such pressure usually being that at which piped water is normally supplied for industrial or domestic use.

A still further object is to provide and utilize an improved injector means for entraining the charging solution in the carrying liquid.

A more general object is to provide a unit of the character described by which a solute may be supplied in a solvent stream in a controlled subsaturation proportion.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth or be apparent in the following description thereof, and in the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a unit embodying my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the unit of FIGURE 1 at a reduced scale and including connections thereto and therefrom.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at an upright plane through the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a plan section taken at the line 4-4 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view taken from the line 5-5 in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section at the line 66 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 7 is a partly sectional view of a modified form of an injector shown in section in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary side view showing an alternative arrangement for agitating the solute contents of a charging tank of the unit.

A present unit 11 for providing a detergent-charged stream of liquid essentially comprises a tank assembly having a base receptacle 13 and a cover member 14 which is sealedly and removably mounted on the receptacle 13 and carries the various devices of the unit which are arranged for interposition in a closed conveying line for a liquid stream in which a detergent or other material is to be entrained as a solute or otherwise. As particularly illustrated, the cover 14 has its under face provided with an annular groove carrying a sealing gasket 15 and arranged to complementarily and sealedly receive the rim of the receptacle. As particularly shown, the coversecuring means comprises bolts 16 hinged to the upper tank portion at spaced points therearound and engageable in outwardly directed radial notches 17 of ears 17 extending radially and integrally from the cover, whereby nuts 18 may be applied to the upper bolt ends for releasably clamping the cover to the receptacle rim for sealing the tank cavity 19 thereat.

Referring generally to the operative elements of the unit 11 carried by the tank cover 14, it will be noted that said elements comprise a branched connector fitting 21 for discharging in part from a distributing chamber 22 thereof to a flow valve 23 which in turn may discharge into and through an injector assembly 24 from which a stream of the charged liquid is arranged to flow to its point of application. The distributing chamber 22 of the connector 21 is connected to a transverse opening 25 through the tank cover 14 by a suitable sealed-in pipe connection 26, said passage being shown as provided adjacent a side edge point of the cover inwardly of its line of sealed engagement with the receptacle side. A pipe 27 depends from the cover passage 25 into the tank space, and is connected through a elbow fitting 27' with a check valve 28 and thence through an elbow fitting 29 to a discharge nozzle 30, said check valve being arranged to permit the flow of liquid therethrough solely into the tank space, and having a suitable structure such as that shown in FIGURE 5.

Centrally thereof, the cover provides a transverse opening at a boss 31 in which the injector 24 is threadedly connected for receiving charged liquid from the tank 12 through a needle valve 32 mounted on the under side of the cover with its inlet thereat, and connected with the opening of the boss 31 by a suitable pipe or tube 33, the setting of said valve being controlled from the exterior of the cover by means of a rotatively adjustable handle knob 34 on the extending end of the valve stem 32'. The discharge end of the injector 24 is provided with a connection 36 at which a hose 37 terminating in a suitable nozzle 38 providing an adjustably variable discharge opening is attached to provide for a directed pressure delivery of liquid fromthe unit.

Referring more specifically to the structure of the fitting member 21, it will be noted that the distributing chamber 22 of this member is arranged to be supplied with uncharged liquid through an elbow fitting 39 having one end threadedly engaged therein and having its other end threaded for its connection with a supply hose or pipe 40 extending from a faucet or shut-off of a supply pipe line (not shown), and that a means is provided for preventirrg a back-flow action through the connection 40 to the supply line while any coincident positive liquid pressure in the chamber 22 is relieved. As particularly shown in FIGURE 3, a tubular element 41 extends fixedly and upwardly into the chamber 22 from the connection 39 and loosely mounts a coaxial cap member 42 at its top for action as a gravity check valve with respect to liquid entering the chamber from said connection; when liquid is flowing from the connection 39, the member 42 is lifted to a limiting raised position to provide for the flow of the supplied liquid from beneath it.

A tubular element 43 is threadedly and integrally fixed within a top opening of the member 21 in axial alignment with the element '41, provides a flow passage from the top of the member 21, and is provided at its top with a diametric cross-bar 44 which provides a depending tubular boss 45 having its bore coaxial with and guidedly receiving a stem 46 extending axially from the valve cap 42. The lower edge of the element 46 provides a planar annular seat 47, and the cap 42 carries above it a valve disc 48 of appropriately flexible material which is arranged to have its peripheral portion transversely and sealedly engage the seat 47 to seal oif the passage of the element 48 while the cap is raised to its limiting position by the liquid flowing into the chamber 22 from the connection 39 and tube 42. Preferably, and as shown, a hood 4-9 is provided on and over the member 43 to prevent an undue splashing of any liquid escaping through the member 43 with said hood enclosing the top part of the member 43 in laterally spaced relation thereto. This arrangement comprises an important practical and safety feature in that any charged solvent flowing into the chamber 22 at a back-pressure exceeding the supply pressure seats the valve 42 on the element 41 to prevent the back-flow of such liquid into the supply line re or the creation of an element-bursting pressure in the system.

By reference to the partly sectional showing of the valve 23 in FIGURE 3, it will be noted that the same is of a usual structure having a valve disc 51 carried by a stem 52 having an operating handle 53 at its opposite end, with the disc 51 engageable With a seat provided at an opening through a usual partition 55 of the flow space of the valve. The body 57 of the valve 23 is provided with externally threaded ends 58 and 59 for engagement respectively in a discharge opening for the member 21 and the receiving end of the body 61 of the injector 24. it will be noted that the threaded connection of the valve 23 with the cover-mounted injector 24 and the pipe 26 connecting the member 21 with the cover opening 25 cooperatively provide a rigid non-rotative fixed relation of the member 21 and injector 2 and valve 23 to the cover.

With more specific reference to the structure of the mixing injector 24, it will be noted that the body 61 thereof is tubular and that its bore defines a flow passage 62 extending longitudinally through it and threadedly and sealedly receiving the end 59 of the body 57 of the valve 23 and the hose connection 36 at its opposite ends as comprising a coupling between the valve and hose connections. A tube 63 providing a bore of the venturi type for constantly receiving a liquid delivered to the passage as from the valve 23 is supported intermediately and axially within the bore of the body passage 62 by having its re ceiving end portion threadedly engaged in a boss 64 extending radially inwardly from the side wall of the body in line with an outwardly extending body boss 65 which threadedly engages the tank cover boss 31 for mounting the injector thereon. For a reason to be hereinafter brought out, the ex erior of the tube 63 is of uniform diameter from a radial flange 66 at its forward end to a radial inwardly-directed shoulder 67 which limits its engagement in the boss 64, and the reduced threaded rearward portion of the tube i provided with one or more radial ports 68 at the point of restriction of its venturi bore for connecting the passage to a flow duct 6) extending through the bosses 64 and 65; the threaded bore of the boss 64 may be appropriately counterbored for insuring the connection of a tube port 63 with said duct.

Slightly forwardly of the boss 64, the bore 62 of the injector body 61 is formed to provide an inwardl extending annular valve seat 71 arranged for the seating of a valve ring 72 thereagainst under the influence of a helical compression spring 73 engaged between the valve 72 and the flange 66 at the discharge end of the tube 63 for spring-loading the ring. The valve ring 72 closely and slidably engages about the exterior of the tube 63, and the strength of the spring 73 is preferably such that the portion of the flow passage 62 about the tube 63 is normally blocked by the closed valve assembly 7l72 which is, however, adapted to open as a check valve upon the building up of a sufiicient flow pressure about the tube portion behind it to open this valve, the required valve-opening pressure being relatively low as comprising a pressure differential of the order of about five pounds per square inch between the inlet and discharge ends of the body 61 for insuring the desired lower-pressure injection condition within the venturi tube passage. It is to be noted that an opening of the valve 7.l72. is operative to permit a full use of the passage 62 through the lbody and so provide for a functioning of the mixing injector assembly to effect the mixing of the solute-charged solvent discharged from the tube 63 under the regulated control of the needle valve 32, with the uncharged solvent of the passage in and beyond the mixing point provided at the discharge end of the tube.

Experience has shown that under most circumstances involving the available solvent supply pressure and the physical characteristics of the charging solute material, the inlet end of the passage of the tube 63 may be fully closed whereby all aspiration and mixing of charged liquid from the tank flowing through the bore of the tube may be effected at the delivery end of said tube solely by reason of the pressure flow of uncharged liquid through the passage 62 along the outer side of the tube and past the opened valve 71-72. Such an arrangement is illustrated in FIGURE 7 in which the rearward part of the bore in the boss 64 of an injector body 61 which receives the appropriately shortened rear end portion of the tube 53, threadedly and sealedly receives a screw plug 74 for preventing any flow of uncharged liquid into the tube thereat. It will be understood that the disclosed mixing injector arrangements represent low-pressure aspirating injectors generally for use for mixing the charged liquid received from the tank 12 through the needle valve 32 and the duct 69 and the ports 63 and the bore of the tube 63 with the uncharged liquid received in the passage 62 from the valve 23.

For initiating the use of a present unit 11, the tank 12 is opened by removing its cover 14 and is supplied in its bottom portion with a body D of the charging material which would usually and initially be in a solid divided and generally dry form such as that in which industrial and domestic detergents are normally provided, the master valve 23 then being closed and the needle valve 32 open and the supply connector 21 being connected by the hose 40, or otherwise, with a source of uncharged liquid under pressure; for descriptive convenience, it will be assumed that the material of the body D thereof is water-soluble and that the hose 4%) is connected with a water source at a faucet (not shown) which is kept closed while the tank cover is removed. After the tank has received its charge D, the cover 14 is sealedly reapplied thereto, and water is allowed to flow into the connector 21 from the hose 40, and so into the tank through the pipe 27 and check valve 28 and nozzle 3d to effectively fill the same, the discharge of water into the tank space being essentially operative to direct the delivered water in a manner to best agitate the charge D for effecting its solution to saturation in the water in the tank before it may be delivered through the more or less restricted outlet provided at the needle valve 32.

Referring particularly to the tank-supplying nozzle 30 of FIGURES 3 and 4 and 5, it will be noted that the attaching elbow 2J is of 45 form and has its plane horizontal whereby a stream discharged horizontally from the nozzle may be more or less oblique to the cylindrical side wall of the tank to impose a swirling charge-washing flow of the liquid within the tank space, the effective swirl-producing angle being readily variable by adjustably turning the elbow 27 about the axis of the pipe 27. Also, it will be understood that the line of discharge from the nozzle 30 may be adjusted to assume an oblique relation to the horizontal by adjustably turning the elbow 29 in the engaged end of the body of the check valve 28. In some instances, and particularly when the particles of the charge D are relatively large and/or heavy, it will be noted by reference to FIGURE 8 that the elbow 2? and nozzle 30 may be replaced by a right angle elbow 29 of the street-L type and carrying a depending nozzle 30 comprising a pipe section closed at its bottom and pro vided with the side discharge ports 30 in the portion thereof which is to be immersed in a charge D; the latter arrangement is understood to comprise another means to utilize the supply inflow to the tank to suitably agitate the charging material D for maintaining a saturation with the material of the water portion above the charge.

After the cover has been replaced on the tank 12, the water supply is turned on to fiow through the connector 21 to fill the tank therewith until the water flows through the needle valve by its own pressure and into and from the injector 24, after which the needle valve 32 is closed and the master valve 23 is adjustably opened to permit a flow therethrough of Water from the connector 21 and into and through the passage 62 of the injector structure and thence to and through the open delivery hose 37. As long as the needle valve 32 is closed, the liquid delivered from the nozzle 38 will be solely that received directly from the supply line to the supply fitting 21 and may be directly used for rinsing purposes, and an adjusted opening of the needle valve will provide for the regulated injection of charged liquid from the top of the tank into the venturi passage of the mixing injector 24 to provide for its entrained mixing in the stream which would then be flowing through the injector. It will be understood that a flow of water into the closed receptacle 13 through a nozzle 30 or 30' will equal that of the charged water through the needle valve 32, whereby the liquid flow through the tank will usually be relatively slow, but will be sufiicient to maintain the concentration to saturation of dissolved detergent in the solution provided through the needle valve. It will thus be clear that the present mixing unit may be depended on to provide and maintain a charged liquid output having a constant adjusted concentration of the charging material, this being in contradistinction to mixing units in which all of the liquid to be charged flows through the charging material and from which a delivery of uncharged liquid may therefore not be effected.

While the present unit has, for descriptive convenience, been specifically described as providing for the entrainment and delivery of a detergent which is soluble in water, it is obvious that the entraining liquid may be other than water, provided only that the charge D of the solute material in the tank is compatible or miscible with the liquid. Thus, it will be understood that a present unit is adapted and useful for the provision and application of many different liquid mixtures having utility; for instance, for industrial and domestic cleaning and/or sanitizing and/or deodorizing, agricultural spraying, paint spraying, etc. Also, it is noted that a utilized solvent or carrier liquid may have the best temperature for the application of its charged and uncharged output, as by providing the liquid at a suitably predetermined temperature. In view of the foregoing and other considerations, it will be understood that the present unit, which is further distinguished by having no moving parts subject to wear deterioration in use and by its operation solely by the pressure of the supplied liquid, fully meets the specified and ancillary objectives of its design in a particularly simple and dependable and efiicient manner.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantage of the present detergent applying unit will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains. While I have shown and described structural features and arrangements which I now consider to comprise preferred embodiments of my invention, I desire to have it understood that the showings are primarily illustrative, and that such changes and developments may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a supply pipe providing a pressure stream of a liquid solvent, a means for charging a stream of the liquid solvent from the solvent-supplying pipe with less than a saturation proportion of a solute for the liquid and comprising a branched fitting connected to the discharge end of the solvent-supplying pipe, a closed tank containing a charge of the solute in granular form, a liquid-mixing injector comprising a tubular body providing a longitudinal bore having intake and discharge ends and fixedly and intermediately mounting a venturi tube having an intermediately restricted bore directed axially in the body bore from the intake end portions of the body and tube to provide an annular flow passage about the tube, said body providing a radial suction intake duct extending to the restricted bore portion of the tube from an exterior connection at a side point of the body, a spring-biased valve means normally closing-0E the rearward portion of said annular flow passage about said venturi tube and adapted to open only when a predetermined pressure differential between the intake and discharge ends of the passage is exceeded, a first pipe connecting one branch of the branched fitting to the flow passage of the injector body for the pressure delivery of uncharged solvent thereto, a flow-control valve in the first pipe, a second pipe connecting another branch of the branched fitting to the tank space to discharge therein for constantly providing a saturated solution of the solute in the solvent Within the tank at the supply pipe pressure, a third pipe connecting the tank space with the suction duct connection of the injector, and a flow-control valve in the third pipe.

2. In combination with a supply pipe providing a pressure stream of a liquid solvent, a means for variably charging a stream of the liquid solvent from the solvent-supplying pipe and comprising a branched supply fitting connected to the discharge end of the solvent-supplying pipe, a closed tank containing a charge of the solute, a liquidmixing injector comprising a tubular body providing a longitudinal flow passage having intake and discharge ends and fixedly and intermediately mounting a venturi tube directed axially in the passage from the intake end portions of the body and tube, said body providing a radial suction intake duct extending from the restricted bore portion of the venturi tube to an exterior connection at a side point of the body, a spring-biased valve means normally closing-01f the rearward portion of said injector body passage about said venturi tube and adapted to open only when a predetermined pressure differential between the intake and discharge ends of the passage is exceeded, a first pipe connecting one branch of the branched fitting to the flow passage of the injector body for the pressure delivery of uncharged solvent thereto, a second pipe connecting another branch of the branched fitting to the tank space to discharge uncharged solvent therein, a third pipe connecting the tank space with the suction duct connection of the injector, independently settable flow-control valves in the first and third pipes, and a check valve in the second pipe for automatically preventing a back-flow therethrough from the tank space to the branched fitting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 811,749 Somers Feb. 6, 1906 1,769,904 Bagley July 1, 1930 2,239,502 Gleason Apr. 22, 1941 2,303,037 Frederickson Nov. 24, 1942 2,419,845 Merrick Apr. 29, 1947 2,610,643 Goff Sept. 16, 1952 2,711,928 Randa June 28, 1955 2,785,012 Frewin Mar. 12, 1957 

